


ineffable

by throughout



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Domestic Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, M/M, Magnus Bane Deserves Nice Things
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-10
Updated: 2018-05-10
Packaged: 2019-05-04 19:18:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14599932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/throughout/pseuds/throughout
Summary: The one where Magnus lets Alec take care of him.





	ineffable

**Author's Note:**

> This is what I do with my life instead of writing my paper that's due tomorrow :') I just needed some softness before the Edom angst ruins me okay don't judge. 
> 
> find me on tumblr [@goldenalec](http://goldenalec.tumblr.com/) <3

The pain in Magnus’ neck lessens ever so slightly as he leans back against the sofa. His muscles ache unimaginably. Magic depletion is never fun. It feels like he’s left half of himself out in the world. He groans as he stretches his limbs, letting his eyes close.

It’s how Alec finds him when he comes out of the bedroom. He walks over to Magnus and sits down next to him.

“Hey.” He says softly, brushing his fingers gently against Magnus’ cheek, “Rough day?”

“The worst.”

Alec hums softly as he leans forward and brushes his lips against Magnus’ cheek. His fingers run gently through Magnus’ hair, and it’s all Magnus can do to keep a satisfied noise of pleasure from slipping past his lips.

He raises his own fingers to peer at them. The nail polish is chipping at the corners. Magnus makes a face. He would remedy the situation by waving a hand, but the exhaustion that runs through him is so bone-deep that he can’t even bring himself to do it.

Alec notices. “You want me to do it?” he asks. Magnus turns to look at him. He has a soft smile on his face.

It’s the first time he’s offered to do anything like this. Magnus feels a smile of his own begin to tug at the corners of his lips.

Alec stands up then, and walks into the bedroom. He comes back a few moments later, holding onto the wicker basket that holds all of the nail polish Magnus owns. He sits back down next to him. Magnus pushes himself up until he’s sitting properly.

“Alexander, you don’t have to –”

“Magnus, shut up.” Alec chides with a smile. He picks up the basket and begins to pick through the nail polish.

Alexander’s hair is a rumpled mess, and he’s dressed in one of his older sweatshirts, one that’s a dark grey, and that has a small stripe of bright blue paint along the side from a painting adventure with the youngest Lightwood sibling. Magnus loves him like this. When he seems to blend into his life, like he was the final piece to fall into place for everything to feel complete.

He pulls out a shade Magnus hasn’t worn in a long time, a shimmering black hue that shifts to a dark, glittering purple with changes in the light.

“What about this one?” he asks, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

Magnus simply nods. He doesn’t think he could speak through the overwhelming affection he feels for the man in front of him.

He watches, heart in throat, as Alec takes his hand in his, as he slowly works the rings off his fingers. As each ring is removed, he presses his lips lightly to that finger. He can’t remember the last time someone had treated him like this, like something to be cherished in quiet moments. His heart stutters in his chest with every caress of Alec’s lips against his skin, with every touch of his fingers against his.

Magnus lets his fingers find the curve of Alec’s cheek, running his thumb gently over the expanse of his cheekbone. He feels it to the tips of his toes when Alec turns his head to the side and brushes his lips against his wrist.

Magnus loves him so much it hurts.

Alec takes a cotton ball soaked in remover and begins to take off the nail polish covering his nails. Magnus could have done it himself; he wouldn’t even have had to lift a finger. But he lets himself be taken care of. Lets himself savour the care Alexander puts into every movement.

“Okay, bear with me,” Alec says with a small laugh as he picks up the nail polish bottle, giving it a small shake, “I’ve never done this before.”

“It’ll turn out perfect either way.”

Alec rolls his eyes affectionately. He ducks his head to focus on the task at hand.

And it might just be the most endearing thing Magnus has ever seen in his life. The tip of Alec’s tongue sticks out of his mouth. His eyebrows are furrowed together in concentration. His steady archer’s fingers hold onto the brush like it’s his lifeline, but even the steadiness of his application does nothing to help him stay within the nail. He ends up getting a lot of polish on Magnus’ skin.

But Magnus really can’t find it in him to care. Not even a little bit. Not when Alec looks like that.

“This is hard.” Alec whines, his voice going a little higher, the way it does when he’s frustrated, “How do you do this so well?”

“Well I usually just, how do you say, ‘snap my fingers.’” Magnus says through a grin.

Alec throws him an unimpressed look. He glances down at his handiwork, and pouts. “You think I should activate my precision rune? I swear I should be better at stuff like this. This just looks like I did it with my eyes closed. You know what? I’m gonna activate my precision ru –”

Magnus shuts him up in the most effective way he knows. He leans forward and presses his lips to Alec’s, swallowing the little _oompf_ that falls from his throat. It takes Alec a second to melt into the kiss, and when he does, Magnus can feel the outline of the smile that takes over his mouth. It’s a sweet thing, something precious. Something to remember forever.

When he pulls back, Alec’s smile takes over his entire face. Magnus could draw it from memory, if he wanted to.

“I love you,” he says quietly, “thank you for doing this for me.”

Alec abandons the nail polish bottle to take Magnus’ face in his hands. Magnus doesn’t think he’ll ever get used to the way Alexander looks at him sometimes. Like he’s the only thing worth looking at.

“I love you.” Alec whispers back, in a sigh.

Magnus brings his hand up to cup Alec’s. Alec’s eyes grow wide.

“Don’t do that! You’ll ruin my hard work.” He scolds, pulling his hands away to take Magnus’ in his again, gingerly, avoiding his nails. He blows softly against the drying polish.

“Kind of hard to make it worse than it already is, don’t you think?” Magnus teases. Alec gasps and smacks him in the chest.

“Asshole.” He says, but he’s smiling too much for the insult to land.

Magnus wants to bottle this moment, wants to save every single detail in technicolour. The way Alec’s eyes seem to shine just a little more. The way his thumb runs gently, absent-mindedly, over Magnus’ fingers. The way he pulls Magnus to him until he’s settled against Alec’s chest, and the way he wraps his arms around his middle, fingers still intertwined with Magnus’. The rise and fall of his chest, and the steady beat of his heart alongside Magnus’, as he presses his lips gently into Magnus’ hair.

_My greatest gift._

And maybe Magnus doesn’t realise it when Alec runs his thumb over Magnus’ ring finger once, twice, and an infinite more times as he falls asleep in Alec’s embrace. Maybe there’s no way for him to know how Alec finds himself smiling uncontrollably at the mere thought of what that finger holds for them.

Maybe he doesn’t hear it when Alec whispers, “I’m going to marry you,” against his temple, softly, just as sleep begins to pull at him as well.


End file.
